What Donald Trump’s Said About Tom Llamas, Lester Holt’s Replacement

Tom Llamas, set to replace Lester Holt as anchor of NBC’s Nightly News this summer, was called a “sleaze” by former President Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign.

Why It Matters

NBC News announced Wednesday that Llamas will take over as anchor of Nightly News this summer, replacing Lester Holt.

Trump has a tenuous relationship with the press, often using the phrase “fake news” to dismiss unfavorable coverage. He has been outspoken in his support for and criticism of specific outlets and journalists.

Shortly after taking office again, Trump implemented media changes affecting the press pool and access. The media shake-up celebrated by Trump has raised concerns among some in the industry who fear that access to reporting the truth will become increasingly difficult as credentials are revoked and outlets too favorable of the president may not provide full coverage.

What To Know

In 2016, Llamas, who was a weekend anchor of ABC World News Tonight, asked then-presidential candidate Trump about conflicting Iowa fundraising reports.

“What I don’t want is, when I raise millions of dollars, have people say – like this sleazy guy right over here from ABC; he’s a sleaze in my book,” Trump replied to Llamas’ question.

Llamas responded, “Why am I a sleaze?” To which Trump said, “You’re a sleaze because you know the facts and you know the facts well.”

The journalist posted on Twitter at the time that, “Trump just called me a ‘sleaze.’ Should be an interesting week.”

Who Is Tom Llamas?

Llamas, 45, is a Miami native and the son of Cuban immigrants. He lives in Purchase, New York, with his family.

He has a journalism career spanning more than 20 years, with reporting roles at MSNBC, ABC, and NBC.

Since joining NBC from ABC in 2021, he has served as Holt’s primary fill-in on the broadcast and has become a de facto lead anchor for NBC News Now, where he hosts the one-hour Top Story with Tom Llamas.

Janelle Rodriguez, NBC News’ executive vice president of programming described Tom as possessing the “winning combination of journalistic excellence, passionate storytelling and unyielding integrity—all characteristics that have long been trademarks of NBC ‘Nightly News.'”

The journalist told The New York Times that he collects records, around 200 of them.

Who Is Tom Llamas’ Wife, Jennifer Llamas?

Llamas and his wife, Jennifer, share three children, two daughters, Malena and Juju, and one son, Tomas, according to The New York Times.

Jennifer is a native of New Orleans, and is also a journalist by training, having worked at MSNBC as an executive producer of NewsNation with Tamron Hall.

She graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a bachelor of arts in broadcast journalism in 2003, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Both Tom and Jennifer are Catholic. They attend church in Rye, New York, per The New York Times.

When Will Tom Llamas Replace Lester Holt?

Holt announced in February that he will step down from his role this summer. It is unclear which summer month Llamas will take over yet.

Llamas has called his new role a “profound honor” and said it carries “tremendous responsibility.”

Holt said on Wednesday that he is “happy for Tom and his family – and crush it my friend.”